Is Al Capone Responsible For The Expiration Dates On Milk?

The world of food is filled with all sorts of interesting stories. While scrolling my endless timeline, I stumbled upon a tale of epic proportions. It’s so wild that I’m surprised it hadn’t come across my radar sooner. Apparently, infamous mob boss Al Capone is responsible for expiration dates being added to milk bottles. 

Al Capone led the Chicago Outfit (or Chicago Mafia) from the 1920s to the early 1930s. This was during the Prohibition era, when rival mobs competed for control over illegal alcohol distribution. Capone’s grandniece, Deirdre Marie Capone, claims that he earned $100 million from bootlegging each year. 

According to Cookist, in response to Prohibition ending, Capone began looking for another source of income that was safe from the violence of mob life. He figured that selling milk could be his next viable venture. Milk was marked up more than alcohol at the time, and unlike liquor, everyone could drink it.

As the story goes, Capone was initially inspired by a relative who got sick from drinking expired milk. He noticed an opportunity to innovate the milk market, which was unregulated at the time. 

Capone had a charitable nature and frequently served those in need at soup kitchens that he established around the city. That earned him a reputation for being a modern-day Robin Hood, making him popular with everyday folk. What’s more, Capone’s outfit already controlled the bottling facilities from Prohibition. He would go on to lobby the Chicago City Council to create a law that required milk bottles to be stamped with an expiration or “sell by” date. 

Although his grandniece never corroborated the tall tale, an online search to verify it only brought up Al Capone’s name. So, the story just might be true.